RTW: Tissue Paper Transfer Candles

Ashley is here again to show you a simple, easy way to dress up candles.


This is Ashley again (from over at Ashley's Crafts) with another fast, easy and affordable tutorial for you. Today we are making candles...ok, well not actually making candles. We are decorating candles! This is a neat little trick my mother-in-law taught me a few years ago and I have used it several times since. Here is what you need:

• a candle (no fakes here, you need wax) 
• tissue paper 
• stamp 
• stamp pad
• scissors 
• wax paper (this is optional, but it makes the job a lot easier and gives a smother finish) 
• heat embosser (sorry, you can't just use your blow dryer...trust me, I've tried)

Step One: Ink your stamp and stamp your image onto the tissue paper (it doesn't matter which side)

Step Two: With scissors, cut out your image making sure to cut close to the edges (this is more important if you are using a colored candle, or colored tissue paper, less important with white tissue paper on a white candle).

Step Three: Place the cut out image where you would like it to go on your candle and wrap wax paper around it. Be sure to put the waxy side facing the candle. You can hold the wax paper in place, but if you prefer to you can tape it down.

Step Four: Heat with your heat embosser until the tissue paper becomes transparent. You will notice it changing as you heat it (just like when heating embossing powders).

Step Five: Admire! Yep, that's really all there is to it! Ok, well you might want to remove the wax paper :)

You can also add other fun things like jewels or ribbon.

You can also use colored candles, but like I mentioned earlier you will want to be more cautious as you cut your image out from the tissue paper since you will probably be able to see the edges of it once you are finished.

Don't like the way it turned out? You can peel it off and start over! Also, the flash accentuated the edges of the tissue paper on my picture above, it looks better in person. And since you have your heat embosser out, you might as well give your candle a little extra dimension. Just pour embossing powder onto your stamped image before cutting it out and heat it before placing it on the candle. You can heat the powder while you are heating the tissue paper to the candle, but I have found that it causes my candle to melt more than I would like and makes the wax drip. Don't have a stamp or ink pad? No problem! You can color on the tissue paper with markers, or chalks, or watercolors. Play around with it! It's tons of fun!

Thanks Ashley! These would make great gifts for neighbors, teachers, and friends! Be sure to enter today's Oh So Girly Giveaway! 

And that's the last one folks! If you want to see the all the tutorials for Reader's Tutorial Week, click here.